SPAR Women's Challenge 2019

What shade of red suits you?

Cherry, crimson, scarlet or rose: tips to help choose the perfect lipstick colour

26 April 2019

Image: Pexels

Cherry, crimson, scarlet or rose – what shade of red lipstick is right for YOU?

The 2019 SPAR Women’s Challenge race T-shirt is cool grey with splashes of colour so read on for some tips on rocking your red lippy on race day.

First of all, find out what your skin tone is as, even in a single ethnic group, there are several different shades.

There are several ways to check but one of the simplest is the white-paper test. With no make-up on, in clear natural light, hold a plain A4 sheet of white paper next to your face and look into a mirror.

If you see a hue of yellow, blue-red or rose pink, you have a warm skin tone.

If your skin appears grey, blueish-red, yellow-green (olive), then you have a cool skin tone.

If you land somewhere in the middle, your skin tone is neutral

Undertones are key when picking a red lipstick.

COOL

If your skin tone is cooler – in other words you have pink, red or blue undertones – then move towards the blue side of the colour spectrum. Think deep cranberry, poppy, cherry or burgundy shades and crimson.

WARM

If your skin tone is warmer and has yellow or golden undertones, opt for reds in the orange spectrum.